1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a LAN management system for managing a LAN in an electronic switching apparatus, and more particularly to a LAN management system in an electronic switching apparatus, which realizes transmission of voice, low-speed data, and high-speed data over a single line served by the switching apparatus, as in an integrated voice/data LAN (IVD-LAN), and which permits a telephone terminal, a data terminal, and a LAN terminal (high-speed data terminal) to be connected at one end of the line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Switching systems serving telephone terminals, and low-speed data terminals, and local area network (LAN) systems interconnecting high-speed data terminals are usually constructed independently of each other. In recent years, however, a system integrating a switching system and a LAN system, such as an integrated voice/data LAN (IVD-LAN), has been developed which allows transmission of voice, low-speed data, and high-speed data over a single line.
In such an IVD-LAN system, ISDN signals and LAN signals are time-division multiplexed to accomplish physical integration of the two systems. In the conventional system, however, integration of the two systems is only accomplished at the physical layer, and the higher layers are independently of each other, requiring separate management for each network.
More particularly, the telephone and low-speed data terminals are maintained and operated differently from the LAN terminals, and different departments are assigned to maintain the respective systems. Therefore, in the integrated voice/data LAN, the switching system and the LAN system are maintained by different personnel.
When trouble occurs, for example, disabling communication between LAN terminals, maintenance personnel in charge of the electronic switching apparatus and maintenance personnel in charge of the LAN perform separate tests and analyses from their respective positions. Furthermore, when the different persons in charge of maintenance operation do not have knowledge of both the electronic switching and LAN, if either person is late in arriving at the site in the event of trouble, it increases the time before the system can be restored, thus causing great inconvenience to the user.